Quake 4 and F-dot-E-dot-A-dot-R-dot are out on the 18th (depending on where you live) so I guess we should probably discuss them or, failing that, rip them apart for whatever failings they may have.

Quake 4
Drink every time...
- You push a button/flip a switch/activate any trigger.
- You think "if only this was co-op".
- You encounter detailed scenery that is liberally covered in clipping brushes.
- You go "oooh, that's pretty".
- (Drink again if you then think it's a nice technology demo)
- You see a reference to a previous Id game.
- You notice an enemy/buddy wearing a huge codpiece.
- Some story is crowbarred in.
- You use the GUI or an in-game terminal or anything else Caryn might have done.

F-dot-E-dot-A-dot-R-dot
Drink every time...
- You overhear enemy conversations and then kill them.
- (Drink twice if the enemies make a joke)
- You do something you didn't mean to because of Lithtech-style control.
- There's a humorous reference on a magazine cover or TV or similar.
- Little girls appear in any form, or ghostly figures, or disembodied laughter.
- Or blood, lots of blood.
- Anyone actually says "First Encounter Assault Recon" (drink and cheer).
- You're reminded of Jason Hall's enormous muscles.

It does indeed pick up toward the end of the game, like.. who also felt that way? Was it LP? I think the environments got a little more varied, and the what and why's of the story were a bit clearer. It weren't always huge sweeping changes either, at one point I stopped and realised I enjoyed myself more and concluded that while I was still running through hallways (well you always are), the textures had a somewhat HL2 two-colored used and dirty look, and it just helped immensly. Granted the whole last level was sorta Doom 3 metal, but at least that was new in the game as well.

Also, I feel the game's ending was handled well, with a bit of story exposition, a bit of horror, and a rather awesome cinematic*. I think the ending makes up for much bullshitty generic stuff in the middle as far as overall impression goes.

[SPOILARSSSDSSRS]

*After running through some intense horror stuff (intense enough to make me somewhat jittery anyway) you manage to jump out into the open, and I was literally relived to finally having the open sky above me. And then, bam, nuclear blast. A very nicely visualized nuclear blast at that. You see it from streetlevel with the shockwave fast approching and cars flying past and whatnot, and the dustcloud from miles away in a chopper. Good stuff. Goooood stuff.

Quake 4 seems okay so far, not spectacular but fun enough I guess. Also I notice the marine that escorts you to the landing site of the USS Somethingoranother is called Pvt Law of Raven Squad. Gets wasted by big mounted guns.

#16 by gaggle
{quote]You're welcome. Noone should play a game because "it gets good later".

Maybe so, but without that I would never have finished Planescape: Torment. Many of the best games I have played had weak starts. Sure, if you've got better things to do with your time, don't pound your head against a slow-starting game - I took 3 tries and 18 months to finish PS:T. But I fail to see how a weak start is any more egregious than a weak ending, or a poor control scheme.

"When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty, I read them openly. When I became a man, I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up."
-C.S. Lewis

Someone recommend me some good red wine. Not really a particular year/vintage, cause those are a pain in the ass to get, but just a wine that's generally good. My current favorite is Wolf Blass premium selection cabernet sauvignon, or the grey label stuff.

Charles, I really like Genesis Hogue. Their Merlots for the past few years have been fantastic - at a wine drinking party* I had last year it was considered the best, even versus a pricey French wine. The Cabernet is really good, too.

*Party idea - Host supplies every guests brings an appetizer and a bottle of Merlot under $20, host supplies two more bottles... a cheap-ass one ('2-buck-chuck' Trader Joe's), and an expensive one ($50+ current critical darling). Wines are placed in brown paper bags, given numbers, then randomly tasted and discussed over the appetizers. Best if people take notes. At the end of the night, unmask the wine and realize how stupid wine snobbery is.

I used to be 'with it', but then they changed what 'it' was. Now, what I'm with isn't 'it', and what's 'it' seems weird and scary to me.

Been playing some FEAR, and while it's an absolutely great and exciting game so far, it does awfully remind me of Blood 2 and NOLF in the graphical department. Apart from the dynamic lighting and the god-awful reflecting water, I really don't see much in the way of graphical innovation. The whole place has that weird bright look to it that's reminiscent of older games. And the leveldesign is still a little stuck in the year 2000, with all the blocky rooms padded with crates here and there.

Still, it's a helluva exciting game.

You fuck with Infogrames and you get a visit from Big Pierre, who rearranges your kneecaps with a week-old baguette.
- Mr. Nutty

So I'm playing FEAR and I'm at the offices....(so funny). I just deactivated local security for the fat civilian and I was instructed to restart a server somewhere. My question is, where do I find that server and how far am I into the game? I'm pretty much tired of it.

I've played quite a bit of both FEAR and Q4, and I'm enjoying both. Q4 is more of a run and gun kind of game, with a comic book kind of feel. FEAR is grittier and requires some strategic planning for the fights. Both are well-done games and a lot of fun.

As for wine, I recommend Castle Rock pinot noir.

Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.DVDs

Charles.
If it is indeed true that you live in Montreal, you need to go into any corner store and pick up a bottle of Beaujolais- Nuit de la St-Jean. It is from France and is quite inexpensive. Of course the stuff sold in corner stores in bottled in Quebec and often cut. For the full experience, you might want to drop by a SAQ and pick one up that was bottled on site. Cadet Mouton is also very good. Again, a french wine.

Hulka: I just bought a geforce 6600gt, and it kicks Doom 3 and Half Life 2's ass. Donno about Quake 4, but I'm fairly certain it could handle it just fine. Got mine for $139. Highly recommended if you want to keep the price low.